A review by statman
Henry James: A Life by Leon Edel

3.0

This is a one volume abridgement of a five volume series on the life of Henry James. Even though it is an abridgement, it is still a lengthy book that takes some effort to get through. There is a lot of discussion of how various events and people in his life influenced his stories and writings. He was a prolific author but it was interesting to see how the stories he wrote are related to the things that were happening to him. He certainly had a cushy life. Never really had to work because of the wealth in his family. Although born in the US, he traveled all over Europe and used his ample leisure time for exploring places so that he could bring it into his writing. Its hard to imagine that he would have produced his writings if he had to worry about where his next meal was going to come from. As a life long bachelor, he didn't have much to worry about. I would have rated it higher but all the details of his travels started to get old. I guess this abridgement could have been abridged itself.